A great sweet and spicy blend containing two different Red Virginias and a good amount of outstanding St. James Perique. The rich, round sweetness of the Virginias are complimented by the plum and pepper hints of the cool-burning Perique. An overwhelming favorite of our local pipe club members.

The red Virginias have a deep dark fruitiness with a little of earth and a touch of citrus as the star component. The perique adds a nice plum taste and a little pepper to the tangy red Virginias in a support role. The description says a good amount of the perique is here, but I think it more as a moderate addition. The nicotine hit is a hair past the mild level. No chance or bite harshness even when pushed. It's often a little moist in a freshly opened tin, though the one I just opened is moderately dry. It burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor as it easily burns to ash. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl, and needs a few relights. It's not a complex blend and doesn't claim to be, but has enough going on to hold your interest as an all day smoke. Has a very pleasant aftertaste and room note.

This is a blend which is not a flavor bomb. It does not have the citrus of Orlick Golden Sliced, and it is not as sweet or have as much perique as Luxury Bullseye Flake. It is a soft and subtle combination of flavors and is slightly sweet and slightly spicy to my palate. It is well balanced and an easy smoke. It smokes very cool in my pipes.

I will admit I wanted more when I first tried it, and it has grown on me. It has worked well and consistently in more than one pipe, and I could see a steady diet of this with some Bullseye Flake or Orlick GS (or Escudo, etc.) every now and then to kick things up a notch. There are plenty of tobaccos in this niche, and most of them are good.

If you would like to try a mild and well-balanced VaPer, I would recommend this. It is one of those solid blends that does not knock your socks off, but it delivers. I could smoke this all day.

Edit 9/16/13 I have revised my rating on this to four stars from three. It has continued to grow on me. My last order was 1.5 lbs, and this needs to be reflected in the rating. To me anyway, it is "that" good.

Another very nice Vaper from Russ Ouellette. Hopefully my analogy of 3 of Russ' vapers to 3 different types of women won't offend anyone, but here goes.

Anniversary Kake is the vaper that you take out on the town to show off, is very elegant and refined and that you enjoy very much. AJ's Vaper is the one that doesn't dress up so well but that you prefer because she is so exciting and fun to be around. She takes chances that Anni Kake doesn't. Louisiana Red is the one that is dependable and would make the best wife. She's there when you need her, always looking out for you, but she's neither as exciting as AJ's nor as stunning as Anni Kake.

This is a tasty but subtle take on the old Vaper recipe. I really like the cut of this. I had no trouble keeping it lit nor smoking it to the bottom of the bowl. As I said, it's dependable.

Me? At least with pipe tobacco, I'm a playboy. I prefer the AJ's Vaper. It takes me places I just can't get to with the other two and leaves me always wanting more. I may fantasize over the Anni Kake and be contented with the LA Red, but my heart is always with AJ. Your mileage may vary.

Louisiana Red is AJ's VaPer's brasher brother. While AJ's black cavendish mellows out the virginias and the perique, LR comes out full-force from the touch of the first match. Spicy with the sweetness of the virginia in the background, LR is a great VaPer but not as great as AJ's VaPer. I could not smoke Louisiana Red all day. AJ's is a different matter. LR gets sweeter with age as do many virginia compounds.

Russ Ouellette does a wonderful job with his VaPer blends. Most of these blends have a clean, tasty character, especially when compared to those from Cornell & Diehl (which tend to be somewhat harsh and a bit overbearing, imho).

(I am a newer and irregular pipe smoker. My reviews are subject to my preferences and tastes and pipe smoking habits) This was the first VaPer I have ever smoked and I was sold right away. There will be some bias in this. I liked my aromatics and had trouble with most English or Virginia based blends, but this was the first one I smoked that introduced to the flavours of natural tobacco leaf. The tin was a mix of orange and rusty brown/red tobacco ribbons with little strips of jet black throughout. The tin note was dark fruit and some how familiar, then it struck me... this smelled (fresh) almost exactly like Fig Newtons! From first charring light to the bottom of the bowl, it was sweet and sour and tangy. Very smooth flavours. Occasionally the flavour of something in the 'dark fruit' range would pop up. And the smoke just feels... juicy?... on your palate, which was a nice surprise for me. Nice mild to medium amount of black pepper tingle during the smoke and I think the room note is great. Also, as I am not a big fan of Vitamin N, the mild dose of nicotine was just right. This is the blend I find myself usually reaching for when I decide to pick up the pipe. If you are looking for a trusty introduction to VaPer, Give It A Try!

To me the tin note smells like raisins. At first you get the pepper taste of the perique then the coying sweetness of the Virginias. If you puff too hard for too long you get the taste of ash so. Be careful. However, I really enjoyed this blend and will include it in my rotation.

Reviewing a sample sent by a fellow Swiss pipe smoker. Unfortunately, I did not have the tin in front of me to smell it, but from what I could make some sweetness. Unfortunately That's pretty much.

In the bowl, the smoke is spicy, peppery, extremely pleasant and non like any other VA/Per I've tried before. The only hint of sweetness I detect is when I exhale the smoke out of the nose. Maybe it has more perique? Maybe it's the red virginias? I just know it's a lovely blend and is highly recommended.

Appearance: light and darker brown ribbon cut leaf with a few darker pieces here and there.

This leaf is rather pleasent to smoke. There is nothing here that knocks your socks off but there is really nothing that detracts either. Burns cool while producing adequate amounts of smoke. My tin having a few months on it still benifitted from a bit of drying time. Initially it didn't take the match real well requiring more relights than I prefer. That was simple enough to cure with a bit of drying. The taste of this mixture is good. You get hay notes with figs and raisins and spicier perique note scattered through the bowl. I find this tobacco gets better when "DGT".

I would reccomend this to anyone who likes VaPers. It's good,cheap and readily available.

Quality tobaccos, the virginias provide a good mid range taste that's creamy but not real grassy, some orangey notes at the top and some bread notes at the bottom and overall, sweet and tangy. This is probably the sweetest non-added flavoring va/p I've ever smoked. The perique provides a good balance with some raisiny tartness and just a little bit of pepper spice. Nice.

The one and only negative to this blend as I saw it was the humectant. I believe its a small amount of glycol, I always found these little dabs of it centered between layers of the tobacco as though placed there by an eyedropper. At least they didn't drench it on there with a garden hose like a couple manufacturers I can think of do, so kind of a minor complaint.

This is a blend that stands out for its sweetness and smoothness as a straight, no cavendish added va/p. Good flavor, enough nicotine to satisfy but not bowl you over.

The tin contains mostly red ribbons with occasional bright and dark ribbons throughout. It smells like rich sweet virginias...bread-like, hayish, grassy, slightly fruity, earthy, with just a hint of spice. Perfect moisture level from the tin.

Easy to load and light and behaves well in many different pipes. Burns down to a nice white ash and remains consistent through the entire smoke.

The flavor is sweet bread (typical red virginia sweetness) with just a bit of tang and spice. Smooth and creamy smoke. Smells wonderful. The flavor isn't as pronounced as McClelland 2015 vpf or Hal'o'the Wynd, but it is similar in some characteristics, just a bit more subdued. It's not a complex smoke, but is an enjoyable one with low nicotine. Very nice blend especially for the price.

I just finished a sample of this that I received over a year ago. I jarred this sample and poked into it from time to time. I can honestly say that all bowls were great. As Virginia blends (and Vapers) go, I tend to prefer the more golden hay and citrus sweet vas over the red vas, but by a small margin as I do enjoy both.

This is probably the best example of a vaper with the red Virginias that I have tasted to date. It is much sweeter than many of the others that I have tried. Overall, I have yet to be disappointed by any vaper that Russ has produced and this one is no exception. The Perique is spot on for the average palate, maybe a little light for mine as I tend to enjoy a heavier dose of this in my blends.

Overall, I am giving this three stars and plan on getting some for the cellar to see how it ages. I will also revisit this one after I have had a chance to go through a tin of it. This one may go up to four stars in the future.

A straight forward smoke that upon first look is nothing exceptional. You can't see the perique. It appears to be a straight red virginia but when you put fire to it you will then know it is indeed a VaPer. It is mild, lightly sweet but not boring. A solid reliable tobacco that does not surprise but always delivers a good smoke.

As a regular VaPer smoker I'm unsure where it will fit in my future but if you are new to VaPers or looking for your first try this would be a good place to begin.

Like the others VaPer Blend, 1st i open the can i can smell a good plum and raisin flavor. Is very good to smell it in a distance but little bit sharp if you smell it in near. In ribbon cut, is easy to pack and with a delighful sight to see this brown cut tobacco. At 1st light, the smoke is quite great, sweet and pleasant with a scent of plum or raisin. I draw it slowly and the taste is getting better, ascending from a mild and smooth taste to almost medium to strong taste with enough peppery and spiciness. Since i love the VaPer blends, i quite enjoy the strength, the strength is between Dunhill Elizabethan Mixtures to GL Pease Telegraph Hill, not to strong but also not to mild, just in medium strength. I smoke it using my briar full bent shape and my local tamarind woodheart pipe, and the moisture is good, not much gurgling even i draw it a little bit fast and hard, but if i draw it a little bit more faster or harder, i'm sure the heat and the moisture will be not good. This is must enjoy it with slowly. I really enjoying my smoking time with this blend from the beginning i open the can until the finish, so perhaps i will buy some more to keep it for aging. Aging VaPer blend usually great to smoke.

If you like mild, sweetish Red Virginias as the dominant part of a mild VaPer, this should appeal. This isn't a 'wow' blend, but it is a very pleasant, comfortable blend; a 'porch sitter', just sit back and enjoy. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is maybe some day.

I picked this out based on the description of it having "a good amount of outstanding St. James Perique." I like perique. I must say I was a little disappointed initially, this stuff just wasn't quite as spicy as I wanted it to be. Upon opening the tin, I found the tin note to be juicy and sweet. The cut reminded me of cigarette tobacco. The taste kind of reminded me of cigarette tobacco but far more palatable. Moisture content was about perfect and the bowl burned well to a salt and pepper ash with no relights needed. Once the bowl is well underway or after a good DGT this blend really develops a nice twang.

I'm glad I didn't write a one off review based on my initial impression , this stuff has really grown on me. I stuck it in the back of my closet and began to smoke 2 - 3 bowls a week of it, and with every bowl I liked it more and more. I will be ordering another tin.

UPDATE July 28: Gosh this blend is really good, it just keeps getting better and better to me, bumping it up another star. Shifting flavors noted so far in the burn include buttered corn on the cob, collard greens with tabasco, beer battered shrimp, cornbread. Great job, Russ.

I like red virginia and other bright virginias, and I like a reasonably amount of perique. So I love this blend. It's not Escudo, but with its relatively milder nicotine content I find it more amenable than Escudo for protracted smoking. That is just me, of course, since with increasing age (mine not the baccy's) I've become increasingly sensitive to too much nicotine. It has that peppered leather tang that does the trick for me. The ribbon cut and texture allows me to fill it easily in the bowl and not have to fuss too much with it afterward. No really high but nonetheless good top notes and fine undertaste for a vaper. The closest a vaper can get to an all day smoke (well, almost!).

I did not enjoy this blend at all. I try to give every blend a clean slate when I try it...but...I didn't enjoy this at all. It was hard to pack and light. I found the only reason that I found it tolerable was that upon relights...it was great for about 5 seconds. This gave me some wicked tounge bite. This will be at the absolute bottom of my rotation. Sorry, it was terrible.

For those who love Red Virginias four stars assuming you also like a goodly dose of Perique. A very different Vaper due the large amount of the Red Virginia. Smokes a bit fast due to the predominate ribbon cut. A very nice smoke. Can be a bit damp as recieved, some drying helps eliminate nipping of the tongue.

Louisiana Red is a straight forward rich and sweet Red Virginia mixed with a good amount of Perique. The presentation is a little sweeter than most VaPer's. It is somewhat unusual to find no Bright in VaPer but Leave it to Mr. O. to find a way to make this combination work. If you like sweetness and spice in a natural, no sweeteners smoke, this would be a good choice.

Acquired an ounce of this from my local tobacco shop. Tin/pouch note for this blend is different than any blend I've smoked, but it is wonderful. I smell a bready/yeasty smell, with a touch of vinegar. A little hay smell as well. Packs well, stays lit well: it's a good cut. I enjoy the room note, my wife says it's "not too bad". So sounds to me it is pleasant/tolerable. Smokes fairly cool. I don't taste much pepper from the perique, but I feel it on the tongue. Pleasant sweetness, almost like sweet Hawaiian bread. I'm thinking there is some topping that perhaps is honey. After the sweetness, there is a bit of mustiness on the finish. Overall, it's a sweet, tasty blend that packs and Smokes great. I recommend.

Pretty good stuff, I been smoking Louisiana Red for the better part of two years now, it is a regular in my rotation. There was a time when it was my everyday smoke, even now there's times when I absolutely crave this blend, especially when the weather is warm.

Something seems to have changed about this blend though since I started smoking it, the last two or three tins I've gotten haven't had quite the same flavor,, maybe one or the other constituent tobaccos has changed slightly or maybe I'm just imagining ?? Not sure.

At any rate, this is my favorite of Russ' blends that I've tried so far. I think it is a well-balanced blend and the flavor reminds me a bit of Cajun food. Spicy and slightly sweet, smooth, and good price point.

I think any fan of Va/Pers needs to try some of this. It's very satisfying, relaxing, doesn't bite, and unlike some of these types of blends out there, has a substantial amount of flavor with refinement. It doesn't knock your socks off with anything unique, but for me, always leaves you wanting more when your bowl is finished! Think Astleys no.2 with a bit more depth and smoothness.

I had to play with this one awhile before giving my review and it's a good thing I did as this stuff has been growing on me. For being a bulk tobacco it has an amazing complexity of shifting flavors/aromas. In the pouch the smell is hay and composting grass with a bit of raisin/plum but take out a pinch and spread it on a piece of paper and the smell instantly changes to full bodied Red Va odor (read ketchup although I despise that term) with a full perique dried fruit basenote.

Most of the H&H tobaccos I have tried are cut in such a way as to remind of me leaves after I roll over them with my lawn mower. Not here, with this tobacco we find a nice ribbon cut that loads easily. It takes a light reasonably well although it could stand a bit of drying.

As you smoke the flavour is perfectly va with the perique staying in the background and playing condiment. The flavours meld together very well although the Red Va here lacks the depth of flavour that I find in C&D Interlude.

Overall I'm giving it 5 stars because it is a truly stellar blend at an even more stellar price. Excellent job Russ O.

This is one great tobacco blend. It is absolutely my favorite Va-Per. Burns even and cool and delivers a satisfying burst of flavor. This one is a winner and a keeper and a permanent part of my rotation.

Hearth & Home have some fantastic VAPers. This one is quite good. I think I prefer both AJ's VAPer and Anniversary Kake to this one, but that's still pretty high praise.

It seems very similar to McClelland 2015 but perhaps with the addition or substitution of either stoved red VA or possibly matured red VA. It has a rich, mellow, full taste, while still being rather zesty.

Looking for an all day VaPer? This could very well be it. This is one good tasting blend that is not overwhelming or complicated but tastes good and smokes mild enough and tastes good enough to easily become an all day blend. This is like McClellands 5100 with perique added. In the pouch, this is a reddish brown rough ribbon cut tobacco with some darker flakes mixed in, obviously the perique. It has a pouch aroma that just calls your name, musty, sweet and spicy. It is at a good moisture content and loads quite easily into the pipe. It lights on first light but I did find that I can never keep this one lit. In my smoking it, I have had to relight it often and this is in several different pipes and methods of packing it. But the nice, spicy, sweet, pungent smoke from it, is wonderful on the palette and worth the relights. It justs bursts with flavor, I savor every puff and with strong black tea, it is just a real pleasure. Itg burns down the pipe to a gray ash and has no issues with moisture leaving your pipe clean and ready to load up again. No tongue bite with this one, it is smooth as can be but the perique is a main player and will give it a spiciness that you never lose all the way down. I would imagine with age on this blend it would be wonderful. Simply put, this one I highly recommend as it won't disappoint you. My only complaint about it is the having to relight so often.

I received some of this when I bought a pipe from the company and finally got around to trying this va/per a few weeks later. This is my first experience with a virginia perique blend and I found it pleasant enough. The sweetness of the blend is occasionally unpleasant but tolerable...a good smoke if I'm in the mood for a sweeter blend. A bit of a bite at times but otherwise a very mild, smooth smoke.

Just sweet red virginia and very little perique. Taste better with aging my batch is about 2 years old, it really brings out the sweetness of the virginias. Highly recommended if you are a virginia devotee, or as a introduction to the genre.

This is a very nice and approuchable Va/Per blend. Packs well and burns well right down to a nice dry white ash. Not your typical Va/Per blend. If you enjoy the sweeter side(and I do)then this blend is a definate must try. It probably will not change your world, but it is a little different. Its not Escudo but it is good ! A little age on it helps and dry is good but not crunchy.

Ordered a small sample of this looking for a good Va/Per blend after hearing great things about the Russ O. blends. The blend packed nice, and lit very well. It was just a bit rough. I can't put my finger on it, but just no what I expected. A good friend of mine, sent me some of his hybrid blend using this and Lane 1-Q. Mixed about 50/50, this turns into a great blend. It's one of my favorite blends now (mixed with the 1-Q). Louisiana Red by itself I would not continue to smoke, however blended with 1-Q, it's golden, a definate "go to" blend for me. Thanks Hoop!

=update== after a couple months in a bail top jar this has tamed down some and is much more enjoyable

First let me say that I love VAper blends. Which is why I decided to try this blend. With that being said I will try to highlight some pro's and cons of my exerience.

Pro's - After smoking a few OZ's the things that I liked were the burnablitly and quality tobacco used. The room note was pleasant and the value is also pretty good.

Con's - I love Perique but I dont know if I got a bad batch or what but it wasn't like the Perique I have grown to love in other blends. This was a little blah....I could hardly notice the Peppery taste at all untill the end of the bowl. The stuff showed up pretty dry too.

Summary - This was an ok smoke but not much depth. But I do love VAper's to start so it kinda grew on me and with the value factor, for me this was a two star blend.

Warning... variation through personal blending. My ratings are for MY modified version of this blend.

OK I bought a pound of Louisiana Red a while back at the same time I ordered several blends from P&C. I am a perique fanatic and smoke many different blends that contain it, so I was sure I'd like this one. Well in truth, it was pretty ho hum. A course taste that really didn't grab me. So it sat around in it's little pyrex bowl (I use many 2 and 3-cup pyrex bowls with snap on caps for storage simply for the benefit of easy opening, stacking and a wide mouth that allows easy pipe loading) until guilt finally forced a pipeload.

One day I said, what the heck, I'll cut it 50/50 with 1Q! What a find!!!! The pyrex container allows me to mix blends easily by shaking thoroughly and then I let it simply meld for a few days before trying it. The cut of the two blends is identical, so it is quite congruent.

But the truth is in the smoking... both blends jumped together to form a find that I'll bet you'll love too! I don't say go out and buy a pound of 1Q and a pound of Louisiana Red to try it, but if you have some of each lying around being neglected (simply because the LA is a little rough around the edges and you've read that 1Q is for the newbie or the unmanly)...give this a try! I find myself reaching for the "Louisiana Queue" many times each day now and have yet to find a pipe that didn't just love it.

La. Red is an attractive tobacco in the pouch, with ribbons of medium and darker red tobacco, along with a bit of dark perique. It's aroma is a vinegary sweetness typical of red virginia leaf. LR packs and lights pretty easily, with an average amount of relights.

The first thing I notice when lighting the bowl is the pepperiness of the perique, followed by the tangy sweetness of the VAs. This theme continues through the first half of the bowl, then the VAs begin to dominate. The taste loses some of its' sweetness in the bottom third of the bowl, something I wish would remain.

LR is a very good tobacco, but there are other VA/Pers that I enjoy more, including some in the Hearth and Home series. I do keep a half pound here on hand as I like to smoke a variety of blends.

Revised review: after my original review, I put up a qt. mason jar of LA Red in the closet and let it set for about 3 years. Talk about a transformation! The VAs were sweeter, the Perique was more complimentary to the VAs instead of dominating them at times and it burned much better. I have to revise my scores: taste-18 of 20; lighting and burn- 8 of 10; and value- 9 of 10. 35 points equals a high ** score for Virginia Spice. Well done, Russ!

Confessing I'm fond of perique leaves, the perique in this blend is not necessarily satisfactory to me due to the lack of spiciness. In addition, this blend tastes much sweeter than other Va/P blend does and than I am comfortable with. Maybe time would compensate as some other reeviewer commented. I consumed 2oz. of this and put another 2oz. into my cellar. 2 star rating out of 4.

I have to agree with prison chaplain. When I first tried this blend last year I smoked one bowl and then put it away in a sealed Mason jar, hoping it would become a little tamer.

I decided to open the jar today, and was nicely surprised. It had become civilized and very pleasant. I don't notice anything predominating in this blend, but then I generally don't, tending to look at the overall presentation. Room note is nicely fragrant without anything artificial. Burned cool and mild to the bottom of the bowl. Certainly worth trying if you're a Va/Per fan.

Shortly after my last comments (below), I set Red aside and it has aged for the past 8 months. Tonight I rubbed out the tobacco, handful by handful, as finely as possible. I also spread it out to dry in a thin layer as I did so.

I tried my first pipe after supper. The aging, rubbing out and airing all worked to improve the tobacco in my opinion. Most importantly, it will stay lit through a bowl. The summer cooled my ardor for the pipe and this was my first smoke in weeks. Nevertheless, I have no tongue burn, though my soft palate did become a little hot while smoking.

The jury is still out on the taste. It reminds me in some ways of MC 5100, which I enjoy from time to time. Now that its burn qualities have improved, I can see where it would make a nice all day smoke. It would still be nice to have a little more of a nicotine punch, I speak as a former Marlboro smoker.

The recommendation is raised from somewhat recommended to recommended. At this point, I am still less than pleased with the taste and after taste.

12-21-2005 My fondness for LA Red is waning. This is not a wet tobacco, but I am having a devil of a time keeping it lit and burning well. Three and four relights have been necessary. And I retract the comment below regarding the desire for greater Perique. Originally, I must have been so overwhelmed by the Perique component, that is present in force, that it did not register. The work required is not worth the return in taste. I am downgrading to "somewhat recommended." Marble Kake, also from Pipes and Cigars is a much more enjoyable smoke all the way around.

I am still getting to know LA Red. My first introduction was a pleasant experience. All of my previous VA/Per tobaccos have been flakes or broken flakes. So the cut of Red was a new experience. Packing and lighting were not problematic. It is a very smooth and good tasting smoke. The high quality of the tobaccos is evident. Whether I buy again is still up in the air. On first impressions, I liked Marble Kake most of the two.

Advent is almost over. Christmas is almost here. A merry and blessed Christmas to all of you.

Slightly sweet, and a little spicy as the description states. I amazed at the softness of this blend. There is no bite, as if the tobacco is aged already. The room note is very nice, and it's not too strong. The perique just cools the smoke and adds that fruit like sweetness. It doesn't overpower as in Haddo's. This blend is balanced! Highly recommended to anyone who likes a natural, clean and easy-smoking tobacco.

Perhaps I was expecting more based on the reviews here, but I actually found this blend to be a bit flat. It was enjoyable to smoke, but it is far from a vibrant smoking experience. I do smell a faint catsup sent in the bag, but when I compare it to McClelland's 2015, or Ashton's Pebble Cut, I think this blend comes up lacking a bit. I'll certainly smoke the rest of the bag, but it is no more than a 2-star tobacco in my book.

Man am I glad I bought this . When I opened a pouch I got a whiff of raisins and a weak ketchup aroma. my sample came dry so for me it lit well the perque cleared some sinus and was quite peppery and the virgina was giving great smoke down to a nice ash . The smoke was awsome and my wife test is sure to pass on this blend.

I really like this tobacco! The virginas provide a naturally sweet taste, and then you get that strong black pepper taste/feel on the tongue from the perique. I have had some trouble keeping it lit as mentioned by prisonchaplin, so I tried cutting it up a little as another reviewer suggested; this helped considerably with the burn. It has a nice room note as well, considering it has that Cajun spice taste to it. If you like boiled crawfish (as I do), you will definitely like this tobacco! I give it a 4-star rating.

Yes, this is a fine blend of Virginias and Perique, no doubt about it. Am I smitten by it? Not really, which is not to say that this blend does not have its strengths. My initial impressions were along lines akin to one of my all time favorites: Rattray's Hal 'O the Wynd. This seemingly apparent perception proved false. The strength and character are simply not the same - Rattie's having already established itself with me as the blend of polymorphic presence, the Lousiana Red finished second. I know the logic is circular and maybe the comparison is not fair but in final analysis, all things pertaining to preferences are wholly subjective. That being said, I do not wish to discourage others from seeking their own experience with this high quality tobacco. With me, if I'm going to the trouble to accomidate to tobac that must be smoked very slowly, then it might as well be Rattie's.

Now this is one great VA/per! Ultra-premium leaf is obviously used in this blend. If you love the natural soft sweetness of Red Virginia and if you love good real Perique then this is your blend! The Perique spice and Red Virginia sweetness share the front of the stage like a blues jam duet by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. Only in Heaven could you experience that...but Russ Ouellette is the angelic blender that has brought a piece of that here to us. This is one to stock-and-store!

This is the first tobacco I smoked from Hearth and Home and I have tried as many of the blends as I could get my hands on since then in the last five months. When I opened the bag there was a smell reminiscent of sweet Va?s and something smoky; Latakia I thought, but different? later I found out that one of the Va?s has a smoky/sweet aroma and flavor as well. It is in another blend and makes me crave BBQ. Nope, no Latakia in there.

It lights very easily and fluffs up like crazy, be ready to tamp, something satisfying about a good first tamp. The tangy lemony Va? and peppery St? James Perique really compliment in a huge way and about half way down the bowl the sweet makes a play and all the flavors really get going on my palate all at once, but not competitive, more like a very nicely composed parfait. It finishes like it started, very nicely, not a hint of bitterness and me wanting more and satisfied at the same time. The nose is incredible, I send it through during my smoke often, odd for me. This is a regular for me, it wants to be mild, but the Perique really calls for a medium to full rating in my opinion on the flavor and strength. I have never smoked this in company and not gotten a positive compliment, never. It IS pipe tobacco to people, in the best way. It brings back memories for many, I have found. I have never experienced bite with this tobacco and it can be creamy at times I think it may be what I am drinking or have eaten.